


Woodstock 1969

by Katrandom



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dyslexic Barclay, It goes fast don't worry, M/M, Mild Smut, Pre-Canon, Secret Identity, Strangers to Lovers, There will be a happy ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-11-18 07:41:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18116336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katrandom/pseuds/Katrandom
Summary: Barclay wasn't meant to fall in love with a stranger. He was supposed to find a safe place to put Sylphs and then go home but the Earth had yet another one of her shitty plans for him.But gosh dang this plan was cute.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, I have no excuses.

Barclay was not having a good day.

He had not been properly equipped for the rain when he’d gotten here. The abandoned cabin he’d been using as a safe house for the last couple years had been demolished while he was gone along with all his stuff leaving him a very soggy sasquatch.

After dumping out his boots for the third time today and poking at the sores were starting to form from the five mile walk he’d taken to avoid the quickly forming crowds that seemed to come out of nowhere. Barclay was very ready to either go take a long nap or commit a murder.

A crowd passed by him causing another person to bump into him and it was all he could do not to turn and punch them in the face. He really could not afford to be seen up New York, especially this close to the gate.

It was at times like this that he really began to wonder if he should cut his losses and head back down south, away from the gate.The last five times he’d gone back to report to the Court, the Seer had told him that anything near the gate’s current location would prove inhospitable to any citizens they sent over anyway. 

Barclay growled to himself as he remembered the way the Seer sighed, his stupid antenna drooping with exasperation, as he told him to keep looking. As if that pampered fuzzball and his fancy guard could do better. Barclay would pay good money to watch the Seer put on a human disguise and try to blend in while hunting for a haven.

_ As if this whole fucking world wasn’t inhospitable and not to mention flat out hostil _ e. 

The disguise that Barclay had been given leaned heavily into the native heritage of this particular country but he quickly found the humans around him didn’t even approve of the people who had lived here. The sightings and reports of him in his Sylvan form were also very telling of the human’s reaction to ‘aliens’. 

_ As if the attacks that lead to Sylvain trying to find new places to live weren’t telling enough. _

He pinched the bridge of this nose as he continued out of city limits and away from the crowds that were swarming the town. Barclay pulled a poster from the sign that cheerily said ‘ _ Welcome to Bethel’  _ and glared at the words. He could just make out a a few numbers and a date before he forcefully pocketed the flyer.

Picking up and speaking new languages had always been easy for Barclay, which made him invaluable as an explorer and land surveyor. Easily picking up local dialects so he could search for good spots and negotiate for land while also being respectful of the creatures already in the area was what brought him to the attention of the Court in the first place.

Learning to read and write it however; was very hard especially for Barclay. It hadn’t typically been a problem in the past when he’d worked in less developed areas of Sylvain but on Earth everything seemed to rely on being able to read and write. If it wasn’t for the televisions that were popping up in every store and restaurant he went to he wouldn't even be able to know the results of his sightings. 

He again sighed before walking off the paved road and up the dirt trail to the nearly abandoned section of the campgrounds he was staying at. Barclay immediately regretted the choice as he slid and fell face first into a mud puddle. He laid there for a moment, considering the consequences of tearing off his bracelet so close to people in the middle of the day just to beat up a tree..

“Do you need some help?”

Barclay stiffened in the mud before slowly looking up into bright brown eyes set behind round rimmed glasses. Shoulder length black hair with streaks of gray framed thin face of the newcomer. Slowly, Barclay took the offered hand despite noting the man’s scrawny frame.

“You seem to be having quite the day,” the man said as he helped drag Barclay up to his feet with surprising strength, “I was sure the mud was going to start boiling around you.”

Barclay gave the stranger a tight smile as they started to walk up the path. To his dismay the they kept up with his quick pace easily.  _ Probably because he was ¾ leg and taller than Barclay _ .

“So are you in town for the music festival?” he asked, not seeming to notice the hostile look on Barclay’s face that screamed ‘fuck off’, “I hear it’s going to be amazing.”

“Music festival?” Barclay said. That would explain why the normally small campground had exploded with all those weirdos he’d seen out west. What were they called? Hippies?

Barclay glanced back over, clocked the earrings and sweatshirt, and confirmed that this guy was definitely one of them.

“Oh, so you’re just wandering around a podunk town for no reason? Or are you searching for the best mud to fall in?” he chuckled, giving Barclay a smug look.

“No, uh, I’m visiting family. They, um, they didn’t say anything about a music festival when they invited me over though,” Barclay said maybe a little too quickly and with more anger than was necessary. 

“Right,” the stranger said, having the decency to look guilty for his mud comment, “Sorry.?

Barclay rolled his eyes as they got up to the flatter campground area. He groaned when he noticed a few vans and RVs had started trickling into the area around his tent. The smell of pot was getting stronger.

The stranger looked at the new arrivals and then back to Barclay, “I’m gonna be totally honest here. If that’s your tent you may want to move it. I’ve seen those get run over more than once at these events. Empty and occupied.”

Barclay glared at him, “And where would you have me put it?”

“There’s a dry spot under the tree behind my RV,” he said pointing at a newer winnebago sitting in front of a big oak tree, “It’s off the camping area so you shouldn’t have to worry about being run over in the middle of the night and, unless the rain picks up, you should be able to get moderately dry yourself.””

Barclay looked down at his wet, muddy shirt and groaned, “I’ll think about it,” he said before trudging over to his tent. The last thing he needed was some random dude watching him sleep.

His tent wasn’t anything special but it got the job done over the past few years. Barclay pushed aside a flap and almost cried. A puddle had formed in the corner from a leak he hadn’t noticed and anything he didn’t have packed into his backpack was totally soaked.

His books, maps with scribbled notes, blankets, pillows; all thoroughly drenched. He crawled in and surveyed the mess before giving into his frustration and beginning to throw things out the entrance flap. Why couldn’t one thing go right? He couldn't even take a nap without the Earth fucking him over.

“Son of a- Mother fu-, Urg!” Barclay growled as he flung another wadded up map out the flap.

“Hey.”

Barclay whipped around to glare at the now not-so stranger who had gathered up his papers from the mud, “ **What?** ”

“I, uh, know how to dry these out if you stop throwing them in the mud,” he said, pushing his glasses up and pointing back at his RV, “I have a hair dryer in my camper.”

Barclay glared at him before pushing himself up and out of his tent. He started to turn towards the camper before grabbing the top of his tent and dragging it with them, not really caring how much mud and water got in there now.

“I’m Andy by the way,” the str- Andy said as Barclay came back from dumping his tent in the dry spot behind the RV, “Andy Frost.”

“Blake Lee,” Barclay said curtly following Andy into his camper. 

It was was mostly bare inside, indicating Andy had just arrived with the exception of a dozen or so sketches pinned to the walls. Barclay examined a few as he walked in that depicted a lot of people in front of a stage and what looked like a couple guys running at each other.

There was also a bulky man passed out in the corner a bottle of rootbeer in one hand and a half finished oatmeal cream pie in the other.

“That’s Vinny,” Andy said as he pulled his hair into a slick ponytail and starter rummaging through a drawer, “He got excited and ate too much sugar before passing out”

Barclay snorted making Andy grin, “Oh look he can smile!” he said, pulling out a hairdryer at the same time. He began examining the soaked maps and frowned, “Well, this will work on the books but we’ll have to let the maps dry flat. Whatever ink you used is starting to run.”

Andy flipped on the hairdryer, causing Vinny is jump in the corner and spill his soda, “You can lay those on the table in the back to dry.”   


Barclay nodded before walking back and carefully spreading out the papers. Vinny stood up and gave him a cautious look before heading up to Andy. Barclay heard the pair exchange some words before Vinny walked out the door.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to make him leave…” Barclay said, mildy guilt soothing over his previous anger. He was slowly realizing he had been very rude to a guy who not only pulled him out of a puddle but also just invited him inside to dry out his papers.

“Hm? Oh, I was about to kick him out anyway,” Andy said, not looking up from the book he was working on, “He was only visiting for today while I was in the area.”

Barclay hummed, feeling a little less bad and leaned against the table to take a moment to examine his surprise savior.

Andy was very tall and his skin was a few shades lighter than Barclay’s disguise making him just out of range of what qualified as ‘white’ skin here. Thin lined, black tattoos trailed sporadically up both arms. He was thin too, not to the point that would qualify as a disorder but he definitely could use a few more meals in the day.

Andy glance over at Barclay with his eyebrows furrowed. He had to be older, Barclay thought, maybe in his forties? It was hard to tell. There were the vaguest freckles spattered across his face that Barclay would say were…  _ cute _ ?

He stood up abruptly, “I’m going to go clean up my tent. I’ll come back later for my stuff.”

Barclay heard Andy try to say something but was out of the camper before he could finish. He almost regretted it when he felt the rain coming down on him harder then when he’d gone in but he really did need to figure out what to do with his tent.

The poor thing was drenched and crumpled from being manhandled and thrown against a tree. The contents weren’t doing much better, Barclay noted as he started pulling out blankets and bags. He dejectedly began wringing out what he could and throwing them over branches to try to dry. 

Tonight was going to suck.

 

\--

 

And it did suck!

Barclay was soaked, he blankets were still soaked, his tent was soaked, his clothes were soaked but at least it had stopped raini- nope, still raining. 

Barclay groaned, he’d long abandoned any idea of sleeping and just watched as the rain began to re-wet his blankets in the tree. His body ached and he was developing a headache from the lack of sleep. He wasn’t sure he could make it in town or to the gate even if he wanted to.

A tear of frustration and discomfort slid down his cheek when a light flicked on in Andy’s RV. A shadow walked in front of the windows before the driver side door popped open and Andy stuck his head out. Barclay quickly wiped his face as Andy squinted at him and motioned him to come in.

Barclay hesitated before slowly getting up and and walking into the RV. He was met with a face full of towels and a tired looking Andy with crooked glasses.

“Strip and dry yourself off,” Andy said before chucking a set of clothes about Barclay’s size at him, “I don’t want you rotting outside.”

Barclay looked at him bewildered before doing as he was told. It felt overwhelmingly good to finally be dry and in clean clothes again, “Thanks.”

Andy turned to him with a softer expression, “I’d rather have a pile of wet clothes in my RV than have you laying outside in the mud. I already pulled you out of one puddle today, Blake.”

Barclay felt his ears heat up at the soft look he was getting and turned away to try and fix the knot his hair had become. A hairbrush landed in his lap and he turned to see Andy pilling blankets on the floor next to the bed.

“Oh no, you don’t have to-”

Andy glared at him, “I’m not letting you go back outside just to get wet again.”

“But-”

“Nope.”

“You-”

“Nope.”

“Really-”

“Blake,” Andy said firmly, “You are sleeping in here tonight.”

Well, Barclay couldn’t argue with that logic and something about Andy was mildly intimidating so he quickly finished with his hair before throwing it back up in a messy bun and digging into the nest of blankets. He almost cried at the sensation.

Andy smiled as he flicked off the lights and jumped back into bed, “Night.”

“Night.”

 

\--

 

Barclay woke up to a very annoying sliver of light settling on his face from a space between the curtains. He grumbled and started to roll over only to find another body tucked into his side and preventing him from moving.

He froze and looked down to see Andy tucked between his side and his arm, his head resting on Barclay’s shoulder.

Barclay’s eyes widened as he went back to his original position. He vaguely remembered something falling on him last night but it hadn’t felt heavy enough to be a body.  He swallowed hard and looked back down.

_ Andy was kind of adorable. _ Barclay realized after getting a closer look at his face. Barclay’s face got warmer as he followed the sharp edges of Andy’s face. The freckles were more obvious and the way his face relaxed was sweet.

He really did not want to move, but he knew it would be awkward if he was still there when Andy woke up. So after a couple more minutes Barclay finally slid out from under him and grabbed his still soggy clothes to hang up outside. It had thankfully stopped raining but it was now so humid that his gear would never dry past “mildly gross and vaguely dog scented’.

The tree was starting to look like his grandma’s backyard once he finished hanging up his clothes. He emptied his pockets and found the poster he’d pulled down the day before and looked at the date.

“Blake?” Barclay turned to see Andy in the doorway, “Why was I on the floor?”

Barclay laughed to himself and walked up to the door, “You rolled on top of me this morning.”

Andy turned pink, “Whoops. Sorry about that.”

An idea came to Barclay as he came back in and started folding blankets with Andy looking mildly sheepish nearby, “You know, you can make it up to me and show me around the concert today. I’ve never been to an event like this.”

Andy smiled, “I think I can manage that.”

 

\---

 

Barclay didn’t know what to expect but he was not ready to actually have fun, especially in a crowd of this many people. Though, to be honest, it was probably just being with Andy that made it enjoyable.

Somehow Andy always knew the best spots to be whether it was to see the stage or to participate in some stupid shenanigans with other people around the field. He even managed to get them into a clearing just as two dudes ran into each other and knocked themselves out.

Though the best part of the day was happening right now in the RV.

Barclay was currently pinned to the bed with Andy sitting on his hips and making sure he covered every bare patch of Barclay’s skin with wet kisses and nips. Barclay tilted his head back to give him more room and rolled his hips under Andy causing them both to moan.

“Ah- shit,” Barclay groaned as Andy bit the junction of the neck and shoulder. He wrapped an around his waist and flipped their positions taking the opportunity to bring their mouths together and capture a whine as it escaped Andy.

“Fuck me,” Andy managed to wheeze as Barclay rolled against him again.

“That’s the idea,” Barclay said as he started undoing both their pants. Andy wrapped his legs around Barclay’s waist and pulled them closer, “It’ll go faster if you- oh, ok.”

Andy had Barclay’s fly open and a hand in his pants before Barclay had a chance to finish his thought. Barclay turned bright red as Andy looped his free hand around his shoulders to pull himself up and started to work Barclay out of his underwear. 

His mind blanked when Andy looked down and whistled, “Wow, I gotta say that’s pretty impressive.”

Barclay pushed him back down on the bed and scooted up so the both of them fit, kissing Andy forcefully as he returned the favor. Andy arched up bringing their chests together tightly before relaxing back down and pulling Barclay’s shirt up, one of his many ring scratching up Barclay’s side.

They broke apart for a moment to strip down Barclay took extra care to remove his necklace before turning back and grabbing Andy’s bare sides, kissing and licking a path from collarbone to hip stopping to marvel at the only soft spot Andy had. 

Barclay could have counted every one of Andy’s ribs but his stomach was soft and slightly pudgy especially when compared to the rest of him. Barclay dipped his tongue into Andy’s belly button causing Andy to squirm and gasp under him.

Andy grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back up into another sweltering kiss and a now slick hand came between them. Barclay glanced over and noticed a bottle that had been pulled out while he was busy and groaned as long fingers brought them together.

“Holy sh- Andy,” Barclay groaned as he rolled his hips against him. It took just a few more strokes before Barclay came with Andy just a few seconds behind.

Barclay collapsed on him, careful not to totally crush the twig of a man, and pulled Andy onto his side with him. They lazily kissed for a few minutes before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

 

\--

 

That’s how the next couple days went. Attend the concert and then go back to the RV and fuck. Honestly it was the happiest Barclay had been since he was assigned to Earth.

The day after Woodstock (Barclay finally asked Andy what the hell it was called), Barclay laid in bed with Andy haphazardly thrown across his chest snoring. He was playing with the door to one of the cabinets wondering what was going to happen now, when something square fell out and hit him in the face.

He did his best not to curse and wake Andy but did give the item a very dirty look as he picked it up and opened it. It was Andy’s wallet. Barclay almost giggled when he saw the ID, he’d heard people talk about how bad the ID pictures were and now that he was looking at one he could really see why.

Andy shifted on top of him before pushing himself up and rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning, Andrew Michael Frost,” Barclay said giving Andy a big shit-eating grin.

Andy swatted at him and tried to take back the wallet. Barclay laughed and pulled it out of reach.

“Born May 30th, 1930,” Barclay managed to make out, dates where easier to read, “Citizen of…”

“Point Pleasant, West Virginia.” Andy finished as he reached over Barclay and managed to grab the wallet, “I am very aware of where used to live.”

Barclay blinked in shock at how harsh that last sentence was and watched as Andy pitched the wallet towards the driver’s seat, “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you I just-”

“No, no you’re fine, It’s just a sore subject, you didn’t know,” Andy sighed before collapsing back on Barclay’s chest, “I haven’t been back there in about two years. Some stuff happened that I don’t really want to talk about.”

“Oh,” was all Barclay could think to say as he began trace some of the scars on Andy’s back and shoulders. Andy squirmed back under the blanket before tucking himself under Barclays arm, trying to make it obvious he wasn’t mad.

“So where do you live now?” Barclay asked cautiously.

“Here and there,” Andy mumbled, “I’ve been traveling up and down the east coast for a while. Got some friends up in this area that I try to visit a few times a year.”

“Like Vinny?”

“Yeah,” Andy snorted, “Exactly, I also got a buddy over in NYC. He’s pretty cool,” And looked up at Barclay, “and what about you.”

“I, uh, I’m pretty much nomadic too. Been trying to find a good spot here but nothing seems to fit right. Well at least none of the  _ places  _ I’ve been.”

“Do you want to come with me?” Andy asked softly.

Barclay’s heart rate picked up and he could feel Andy chuckling against his ribs. Barclay thought hard about it. 

He had a job to do, he couldn’t just pack up and disappear! What if the Court sent someone,  _ or something _ , after him? The Seer would definitely pick up on if he’d left his mission and those creepy shadows he employed where not known to be nice.

“You don’t have to answer me now,” Andy said as he sat up, “First we’ll at least get your gear washed and packed up. I don’t really have anywhere to be.”

Barclay relaxed a little, “Yeah, let's do that. I actually do have business in town tonight.

Andy looked confused but shrugged before the pair got up and dressed. When they started loading Barclay’s gear into the RV it smelled so bad at this point that they discussed whether or not to just burn it. 

Instead they went to the nearest laundromat and spent a few hours washing and drying everything till it smelled less like dog before Barclay meticulously put away every item in it’s newly cleaned bag.

Once everything was thrown back in the RV they headed to the nearest grocery store to stock up. Barclay noticed that most of what Andy bought was high in sugar content and began to slip in vegetables when he wasn’t looking and earning a soft gut punch when they were checking out.

“So, Blake” Andy said once they were back and Barclay was going through his stuff again, “Made any decisions?”

He sounded nervous. Barclay looked up to see him scratching inconsistent lines into his notebook, “I think I’ve decided but I need to see how tonight goes before I say anything definitive. My bosses are fickle like that.”

Andy froze and looked up at him in bewilderment, “R-right, uh, when is your meeting?”

“Should actually get going now. I’ll be back before morning,” Barclay said as he stood, “I promise.”

Andy gave him a weak smile as they kissed before Barclay was out the door and on his way back to Sylvian.

 

\--

 

The forest was still muddy as hell, even the paths were wet enough to cause Barclay to sink. Not that it was hard. He was too focused on what to tell Andy when he got back depending on the way this meeting turned out.

His heart was screaming at him to abandon his mission with his brain told him that that was the stupidest shit. He’d only known the guy for four days and he was already willingly to abandon Sylvain?

“Fuck me,” Barclay groaned, rubbing his eyes. He was getting closer at least, the sooner the Court told him he was an idiot the better. 

Maybe he could rationalize it as getting around faster using Andy’s RV. It wasn’t really a lie was it? And Andy came back here several times a year so that would work perfectly for his reports, right?

Sloshing from behind startled Barclay and he turned to see Andy sprinting up the path, covered in mud and very panicked.

“Andy, what the-”

“We need to go,” Andy barked, grabbing onto Barclay’s arm and yanking him back down the trail, “It’s coming.”

“What’s coming? Andy, you’re scaring me. What the hell is going-”

A breath tickled against Barclay’s neck. Andy’ eyes widened behind his glasses as Barclay turned to face a huge black...thing.

“I was off my mark.”

Andy pulled hard just as the thing slammed a paw down.where Barclay was standing. Barclay looked at Andy and his heart dropped when he realized what he had to do.

“I’m sorry,” Barclay said as he slipped his bracelet off and turned to rip into this… this   **abomination** .

“I should have- For fucks sake Indrid,” Andy said behind him. 

The abomination struck down nearly putting Barclay flat in the mud before pushing it off and launching it between the trees. Barclay turned to where Andy looked to be having a mental break down and raised a hand, “I’m so fucking sorry.”

With that he knocked Andy out. The sound of sharp metal hitting wood echoed from where he’d thrown the abomination as he picked up Andy and ran back to the RV. The wind almost whistled through his fur as he ran and he knew he had to work fast before anyone else saw him.

The sight of the camper was bittersweet as Barclay managed to slip his bracelet on while running. He hesitated for a moment before opening the door and placing Andy gently on the bed.

He looked around the camper one last time before grabbing his bags and running back to the portal.


	2. Trash Hobo takes a Bath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! 
> 
> For context on why Indrid is so scarred up you may want to read [Look On No More](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17749754) it's a quick read and just quickly goes over what happened to Indrid before/during the attack on the Heart.

_ Indrid was the worst Seer ever and Janelle was going to laugh at him when he got back. _

He carefully prodded at the bruise along his jaw and winced. His abilities had dulled worse than he’d thought which either meant being on Earth was disconnecting him from Sylvain or Sylvain was weakening faster than Woodbridge had suspected.

Whichever it may be it was not good and the throbbing pain in his head was even worse. Indrid slowly slid off the bed and onto the floor so he could pop open the hidden compartment with his pain meds. 

After taking them and laying back on the carpet, Indrid considered his next move. Blake Lee, aka. Barclay Stonepath  _ the Court Surveyor _ , had retreated back to Sylvain to give his oral report and would be back tonight. Indrid could try to catch him at the gate but from what the future was giving him, that would end up with another bruise and an even jumpier Barclay running away....

Or Indrid could forget about him and continue with his own projects.

He frowned, that would make the most logical sense but it didn’t feel right. Indrid picked at Barclay’s futures and grimaced as he noticed Barclay distrust of humans worsening in the coming months. At least the golden future was still there and Indrid hadn’t fucked that up.

Indrid slapped his forehead and groaned, if he would have been paying attention to the further futures he could have seen that and disengaged sooner but now he was royally fucked and sad. 

His chest ached as he rolled over, it had only taken him a day to fall for Barclay. His stupid affection starved brain latched onto Barclay the moment he’d stepped into the RV. Which was stupid because Barclay had just been glaring at him up to that point.

_ Indrid was a stupid man. _

He’d come to Earth to study the inhabitants and the land. All the reports the Court had received from scouts and surveyors were sorely lacking and driving Indrid up the wall, literally! Sure he’d come back to New York to ‘study’ humans in groups and,  _ maybe _ , partake in a few other festivities…

_ Ok, Indrid came to get high and get laid. _

But then he had to find a beefy brunette face down in the mud, furiously shaking in a disgusting flannel button down. In other words, exactly Indrid’s type.

Then the nice beefy stranger turned out to be the flustered beefy surveyor and things went to shit from there. Indrid turned his head and gently prodded his bruises again as he let himself drift off into the web of futures for a while.

The sun was starting to set again before Indrid’s meds kicked in and he managed to push himself up from the floor and go outside to disconnect his utilities. He did so slowly, ignoring the wadded up tent in the dumpster nearby as he walked back to the driver’s side door.

The winnebago started up cleanly and Indrid turned off the radio before pulling off onto the westbound highway with an empty passenger seat.

\--

A few years passed by without Indrid really acknowledging it. His misadventures had lead him over to Roswell, New Mexico where a new gate had popped up completely separate from the New York gate. Indrid had managed to avoid Janelle that time but he’d gotten chewed out by a very upset Vincent. 

Indrid stayed in the area for a long while, learning what he could about the ‘Aliens’ that roamed the area and talking to the exasperated Sylph’s that the stories were based on. He also made time to collect pieces of the local fauna to gift to Janelle so she wouldn’t kill him whenever he went back..

_ “We’re not even that small,” Hank grumbled into his coffee as his wife, Martha, nodded in agreement, “And we sure as hell ain’t green, maybe blue but definitely not green.” _

_ Indrid looked up from the flower he’d been carefully arranging in his field journal and smiled, “And I don’t share any genetics with Earth moths but here we are.” _

As Indrid had started to leave, a golden future sprung up, bringing him to his knees as he was shown a human family and their new venture in restoring and running a resort next to a geyser that had properties similar to the Heart. 

Just like what would happen in Kepler.

Indrid was in a daze when he passed on the information. He’d managed to keep Kepler and Barclay out of his mind for so long that it was jarring to have those futures re-anchor in his head. 

He had stumbled into the RV and stared at the map stuck to the wall with folded drawings pinned in pertinent areas. Mind in turmoil as new futures flickered to life as he fell into the driver’s seat and drove east.

\--

It had been almost ten years.

Indrid pulled up in front of the newly built lodge in Kepler, West Virginia. His heart was beating wildly, and almost painfully, in his chest.

_ What the hell was he doing? _

He moved on autopilot as he grabbed his backpack and stepped out of the RV.

_ He could still turn around and leave forever. _

The bell attached to the entrance door jingled as he stepped in. The entry room was gorgeously done with rich log cabin walls, exposed joists, an enormous fireplace with a large stone mantle, and a chandelier that was close to eight feet wide illuminating it all. It was all a stark contrast to the stone walls of Sylvain.

A young woman in braids stood at the check in desk and watched him take in the view, “Pretty nice, huh?”

Indrid jolted in surprise and quickly nodded.

_ She was the one in his vision. Madeline Cobb. _

“So you looking for a room or…”

“Yes, sorry. I’ve been on the road a while,” Indrid stuttered as he made his way to the desk, “Not used to talking to people other than myself and a waitress. I’m a little rusty.”

Madeline gave him a wry smile as she pulled out a clip board, “I can understand that. I was out on the road for a couple years before settling down in Kepler. Not much to talk to unless you bring the dog. Now, how long you planning on staying?”

Indrid stared at the clip board. Shit, how long did he want to stay?

“I, um, I’m not sure yet.” he said, “I’m between some stuff and I’m not sure when I’ll need to leave yet.”

“No problem, we can set you up for a night and go from there,” Madeline said. She had a knowing look in her eye that Indrid didn’t care for.

Indrid hesitated before nodding and diggin out his wallet, “That sounds good to me. I’ll make a couple calls and get back to you on the time tomorrow. Does that work?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Madeline scribble down his information and handed him a key and a paper outlining the schedule and rules, “If you need anything dial *1 to get ahold of the desk or knock on any of the doors marked with gold name plates, ok?”

He nodded, thanked her, and scuttled up the stairs as fast as he could without looking totally insane. It only took him a minute to find his room and scramble in.

_ This was dumb, he was dumb. _

Indrid forced his jaw to relax before dumping out his backpack on the bed. 

There was so much soap. Indrid immediately gathered up the toiletries and dumped them in the bathroom, pausing to turn the shower on before going back to the bed. It would take a 47 seconds before the shower warmed up to the right temperature.’

He continued pulling clothes out of the backpack, most of which he’d bought this morning with the soaps during his panic when he realized how gross he’d become and the lack of water in the RV. He, of course, had no clean clothes left either and Indrid was pretty sure his socks could stand by themselves at this point.

Once his belongs were sufficiently scattered around the room in a chaotic array that made perfect sense to only him he stepped back into the bathroom and grimaced at the steam coming from the shower.

_ This wasn’t going to be pleasant. _

Indrid stripped down, taking care to throw his crusty jeans as hard as he could against the door and piling the rest on top. He risked a whiff of his shirt and nearly passed out at the smell. This was very bad. He needed to burn those clothes and possibly everything in the RV when this was over.

Indrid put on a brave face and carefully placed his glasses by the sink and stepped into the mildly scalding water. His level of gross was beyond what could be labeled as socially acceptable and the water coming off of him should definitely not be that color. Indrid looked at the drain in disgust.

After a few minutes soaking Indrid reached for the new brush that had been haphazardly thrown in the tub and began pulling it through his knotted hair. It was ugly and more than a few hairs were yanked out before he was satisfied enough to slop a handful of shampoo onto his head and begin scrubbing.

Again, soap suds should not be that color.

Indrid sighed, looking up at the ceiling and letting the shower finish washing out the suds for him. What did people even see in him? He was gross, rude, and incredibly awkward in any social situation, it was only because of the harsh lessons his mentor had taught him that he could carry a short conversation without driving people away.

Would Barclay even want to see him at this point? It’d been so long, their memories of each other had to be warped in some way and even if they weren’t, the status difference between them was. What would Barclay think of him? Indrid was technically hs boss in Sylvain.

He flipped open he conditioner and dumped way too much into his hair before scrubbing it in. Indrid relaxed slightly when his fingers ran through the strands without pulling for the first time in… months. With a quick twist his hair was on top of his head and he was reaching for the washcloth and body soap.

His nose crinkled at the chemical scent of the soap buried under way too much fragrance. Should have sprung for the nicer stuff. Indrid watched his skin go from a gray tint to pink as he scrubbed.

Indrid thought about when he’d invited Barclay to spend the night in his camper the first time and how after changing into clean clothes his first instinct was to fix his hair. It hadn’t even occurred to Indrid until Barclay was pulling his hair down that people found comfort in taking care of themselves, even in little ways. 

It had never been in Indrid’s control to take care of himself, it was just something others did for him. He didn’t have a choice. He hadn’t been allowed to even learn to care for himself.

_ That would mean he could survive outside the court. _

After rinsing out the conditioner he turned off the water and stepped in front of the vanity mirror. His hair clung to his neck but not because of the grime anymore. Indrid considered it a moment before ruffling his towel over his hair, brushing it, and pulling it back into a high ponytail.

Indrid reached into the grocery bag to pull out the toothbrush and paste before setting to work on his teeth. He took special care to get into the gap between his top canines and back teeth. It took about 3 rounds of brushing before he was satisfied.

Indrid hadn’t felt this nice since he left Sylvain.

He smiled down at the counter when his disguise ring caught his eye. He twisted the thick class ring around in consideration, tracing the ruby he’d personally installed to hold onto the enchantment better.

Slowly, he slipped it off and stepped back into the shower to rinse the dust and grime from his wings and body. He considered the shampoo but didn’t want to risk removing the coatings on his flight surfaces, especially if things when badly tomorrow.

The feeling of water running under his fur and feathers was not the most pleasant thing. Indrid quickly took care of the worse areas and shut the water off again. His wings fluffed up to dry faster as he took a seat on the edge of the tub and grabbed the ring again.

He tapped the ruby with one claw and his human disguise “Andy” stood in front of him in his standard jeans and tank top. Maybe it was time for a change.

Andy’s hair suddenly shortened into a shorter mop with band falling just above his eyebrows. The ends turning gray to match the fur on Indrid’s face and upper body. The empty piercings also began to close until two were left in each ear.

Indrid leaned back so his wings touched the wall before tracing against the engravings on the ring. Andy’s eyes turned more red that brown before a fog appeared in his irises and small scars rose under his eyes, a small suggestion of his visual impairments.

The thicker scars and burns on top of his shoulders and down his back lightened and partially disappeared leaving clean freckled skin looking like he’d been in a car accident instead of a battle that nearly killed his home.

Indrid hummed in thought as he considered how else to make “Andy” looks less threatening but without looking approachable. He tapped his claws against the plastic of the tub as he thought about all the people he’d met in his travels and grinned when he found the right one.

Todd Jawarski, found in Springfield, IL in May of 1968. A conspiracy theorist that everyone avoided like the plague. Notorious with local law enforcement for calling in false government conspiracies and harassing tourists with stories of local cryptids.

Indrid almost giggled as he began shifting the thin black tattoos on “Andy’s” arms into stylized UFOs and cryptid silhouettes. An illuminati symbol even popped up on the inside of his right wrist. But his personal favorites were the tiny mothman on his right hand and the Bigfoot footprint on the inside of his left elbow.

He stood to admire his handy work before slipping the ring back on and feeling his body compress comfortably into its human shape. Indrid shook the tension out of his arms and started getting dressed, sighing contentedly once he slipped on the sweatshirt he’d worn to near shreds but was the perfect softness.

He grabbed his glasses and nearly stumbled into bed as a rogue shoe caught his foot. Indrid rolled under the covers and hummed. He should really get a new mattress in the RV or maybe even get a new RV he did still have valuables he could sell off. Maybe he could get something a little bigger that was better suited to 24/7 use.

Indrid looked up at the ceiling as he absent mindedly sorted through futures and stored away the more interesting ones for later. He should get some sleep, it might help his chances of not messing up tomorrow.

The glasses glinted on the night stand as Indrid shifted to turn off the lamp. Perfectly clear and personally charmed by Janelle to help him see after the incident. Indrid ran a delicate finger across the gold rims and smiled before a thought crossed his mind. 

Ever so gently, he tapped his ring against one of the arms and duplicated the disguise spell into them. The lenses sparkled before orange magic began clouding them until they were reflecting Indrid’s face in a dark red cast.

It may defeat the purpose of changing the eyes on “Andy” but it would make his facial expressions harder to read and add a little extra weirdness to him. 

_ It also looked cool. _

Indrid stuck his tongue out at his reflection before he turned off the lamp and rolled over.

Maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be too bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I give you a muddy Barclay and now I give you a squeaky clean Indrid. Oh, the plot twist!
> 
> (Also, sorry if the flow is a little chunky. I was having issues writing the first half :/)

**Author's Note:**

> I am dubbing this ship Bigman and there is nothing you can do about it.


End file.
